Why Pay for Alpha When You Can Track Wallets?

In the world of crypto, there’s a common belief that if you want access to real alpha (projects that moon), you have to pay for it. Whether it’s a private Telegram group, Discord group, a Patreon subscription, or some closed-circle community, the message is the same. Pay to get in and you’ll hear about the best plays early. That made sense at the time. Being part of a group filled with likeminded people chasing the same kind of high return projects, felt smarter than doing it all alone. So in 2024, we joined a paid group and a free one. Two completely different setups, but both built around the idea of sharing early access and hidden gems.

Over time, we started to realize the differences between paid and free groups. However more importantly, We began to see the value in not relying on call groups at all. Instead, we turned to the on-chain data itself, using tools to track what was really happening behind the scenes.

The Paid Group Experience

The group we joined wasn’t tiered. Everyone had equal access, which sounded fair on the surface. However most of the plays were quite repetitive, predictable and not very rewarding. The main caller was locked in on Solana based projects, and we started to notice a pattern. Most of the tokens he promoted were quick flips. Even though he had early access and some signals, the projects didn’t hold any real steam. They’d pump briefly, then fade. It eventually became clear, he wasn’t looking for longevity, just volume and churn. Unfortunately, when mainly dealing with Solana based projects, especially memes. That is mostly what you will find.

Despite being “early,” we rarely saw a return worth talking about. Maybe a 1.5x here, a 2x there. That’s it. In fact, I can’t say we got more than 2 or 3 of those wins during our time in the group. All while paying for access (approx $80 USD/month). The worst part? We had no control. We were relying entirely on someone else’s judgment, someone else’s timing and someone else’s criteria. Which in the end, did not match what we were looking for.

The Free Group Revelation

After spending some time in the paid group, we decided to check out a free group as well. These were two completely separate groups, but we discovered both through YouTube. Although, not through big channels such as Alex Becker or Suppoman. These were smaller channels with maybe 1,000-5,000 subs at the time (Apetopia now Apex Syndicate is one of them). Previously, we would follow calls from big influencers, which usually meant buying in after the crowd had already pumped the chart. This time, we wanted to see what the smaller creators were talking about. That shift led us to both Telegram groups.

The free group was connected to a tiered paid group. In that setup, paid members would receive the calls first, depending on their tier level. Eventually, those calls would make their way into the free group, alongside whatever the community was already discussing organically. What surprised me, was even though the free group received calls after the paid group, the entry points were still strong. In fact, the quality of opportunities were better overall. Within just the first few weeks of joining, We found a token that ended up going somewhere between a 100-150x just a few months later (Kendu Inu). ^{(1, 2)}

Another notable play in the free group, was a presale entry into what was positioned as a generative AI multiverse/metaverse project (GenboxAI). We got in early, around a $280K market cap, and after launch, the price surged. Initially reaching a $3-4 million market cap, and climbing as high as $15 to $20+ million at its peak (outside of liquidity adjustments that happened later). On the surface, everything looked solid.

The project was being shilled by multiple influencers (Suppoman, Crypto Gains etc.) and the team had what appeared to be a legit presence. Until the website was proven to use stolen images for the team members. From our own research and other users input on Twitter. The photos used for the team were found on LinkedIn, which belonged to other people not related to the project. When that news became known, they changed the images to CGI characters instead. Absolute red flag!

Other investors dove deeper, recognizing the code was copy and pasted from somewhere else. That “somewhere else” was Skybox AI. It didn’t take long after that for the truth to unravel. Especially when they decided to migrate under questionable circumstances and began tampering with liquidity. Looking back, it was one of those projects that looked legit to many, but the red flags became obvious once you looked past the surface.

In the free group, there were other gains that weren’t massive but were still meaningful. Some were solid enough to roll into other projects, others gave us the breathing room to take profits where needed. Either way, we were seeing more wins than ever found from the paid group. It became clear that for us, timing and community quality mattered more than price of access. ⁽³⁾

Influencer Wallets to Tool Based Discovery

While exploring smaller crypto influencers on YouTube, we started noticing something different. These weren’t the typical hype driven channels with massive followings. They were more grounded, with a real understanding of how crypto moves. And a few of them weren’t just making calls, they were tracking wallets. Specifically, they were watching the wallets of major influencers such as; BitBoy, Alex Becker and CryptoGodJohn.

At first, it seemed like a solid shortcut. Just follow someone who already knows what they’re doing and mirror their plays. For a while, that logic made sense. Additionally, we began pairing wallet tracking with insights from other influencers like Suppoman etc, who added context to what we were seeing on-chain. It gave us a layer of validation that made some of those moves feel less like guessing and more like following a strategy.

That approach led me to one of our biggest early wins, Virtuals Protocol. We spotted the play through BitBoy’s wallet activity. He kept buying and buying. Suppoman then mentioned it in one of his videos, so we bought a bag and decided to really pay attention. We didn’t fully realize it at the time, but that trade ended up doing a 90-100x. That kind of return didn’t come from a paid group or insider alpha. It came from watching the chain and paying attention.

Over time, we started using tools to expand beyond just influencer wallets. We added platforms like DexScreener, Dextools, Axiom Trade & GMGN into our rotation. These tools gave us a broader view of new tokens, price action and holder behavior. Then came Telegram bots, specifically contract scanners like TTFBot etc. These bots would help us avoid obvious scams, honey pots or fake utilities. It felt like wallet tracking and alpha sniffing combined into one stream.

Once we had an understanding of analyzing contracts and how to use the additional analysis / tracking tools that we acquired. We began to shift from waiting for calls in the free group, to finding our own. We weren’t just following the influencers anymore. We started watching wallets, studying data and letting tools point us to real opportunities. No monthly fees. No TG tiers. No hoping someone dropped a gem. No hoping we bought in before everyone else in the group. ⁽⁴⁾

Why Wallets Over Alpha Groups

Let’s be real, wallets don’t really lie. On-chain data doesn’t sugarcoat anything. Although even with that said, there’s no perfect system. You can still buy into a project that looks clean on-chain, only to find out the team behind it is inexperienced, unmotivated, disorganized. Or worse, straight-up dishonest. Unfortunately, more of the latter has been appearing lately. The question is, why rely only on a free or paid alpha group, when you can train yourself to recognize smart or influential wallets directly? That kind of insight can get you in earlier, while alpha groups will always leave you reacting to information that’s been passed around, often after the best entry point has passed. You see, that’s the real issue with groups.

Even if there’s no tier system, you’re still competing with a group of people who all receive the same call at the same time. You either jump in immediately and hope for the best. Or you hesitate, wait for price stabilization and enter right before others start taking profits. With wallet tracking, you’re not waiting on a signal that gets blasted to 100-300+ other people. You’re building your own radar. One that lets you act when it makes sense for you, not when the rest of the group decides it’s time to move.

We aren’t saying alpha groups are useless. We have nothing against paid groups that provide alpha. Such as crypto education, inside trading tips & knowledge, personal / brand development etc. It’s the groups that just charge for crypto projects that moon to be aware of. Additionally, free groups can be great for discussion, ideas and validation. However, relying solely on the group puts you in a position where you’re always part of the crowd, never ahead of it. Wallet tracking is different. It’s repeatable and it’s scalable. Most importantly, it’s yours.

You’re not hoping someone lets you in on a call. You’re watching the chain. You’re spotting patterns. And you’re moving on your own time, not someone else’s.

The Shift to Axiom & GMGN

After spending some time checking charts, evaluating projects and listening in on crypto Spaces. We started hearing more and more about a tool called Axiom Trade, so we decided to check it out. At first glance, it seemed promising. It has a clean UI, wallet tracking features, some solid trade history visibility and more. We used it here and there, not as a main tool but enough to see it had potential.

At the time, Axiom Trade as a wallet tracker wasn’t quite as advanced as we had hoped. It scratched the surface, but we still felt like something was missing. That’s when we stumbled upon GMGN.

The more we looked into GMGN, the more we realized how powerful it actually was, especially in the right hands. It didn’t just show trades. It gave real-time wallet behavior, the ability to instantly copy trade, buying and selling patterns, win rates, PnL and more. Suddenly, everything we had been doing manually, across YouTube, DexScreener, Telegram and scattered wallet trackers. Was pretty much being consolidated into a single interface. That’s when things started to click.

Final Thoughts

Call groups absolutely do have their place, especially if you’re just starting out. They can help you get your footing, build confidence, learn how to analyze projects / contracts and expose you to the rhythm of the market. However, once you’ve spent some time understanding how crypto moves. Whether you’re trading or investing, it might be time to step beyond the group dynamic. Or at the very least, add on to it. That’s where tools like GMGN, Axiom Trade and others come in.

They give you the ability to look on-chain and start spotting wallets or projects that may be worth jumping into, before the herd even hears about them. These tools can dramatically enhance your perspective, but they’re not for total beginners. They’re mostly for people who’ve already started building their understanding of the space. Usually those who can tell the difference between real momentum and manufactured hype.

For us, these platforms took a lot of the guesswork out of what we were already doing manually. Instead of trying to piece things together across scattered sources. We could now get direct insight into wallet behavior, entry points, PnL etc. all in one place. It’s not just about having a tool / toolset. It’s about knowing how to use those tools to develop a strategy you can trust.

To learn more about Axiom Trade and how it might benefit your trading, read our review here. To get more details on GMGN and its advanced wallet tracking and copy trading features, click here.

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Page Last Reviewed / Updated: 12-Sept-2025